Silent Hill: Birth from Dreams
by Ichabod Viktor Cowler
Summary: January 5, 1998. Lewis is experiencing nightmares. Each new one makes him forget he had any of the others. A 20-year-old priest, Anthony, is at the center of Lewis' problems. Back in the town of Silent Hill. Based on Silent Hill 2 and 3
1. Prologue: Confusion

**Divinity and Punishment**

Part I: Inferno

_Prologue: Confusion_

I stood in the middle of a forest. The trees were tall and thick, reaching high to the skies like arms reaching for Heaven. The twigs and branches were twisted and dropping, like a Weeping-Willow. The ground was covered in earth and grass, nothing more. That seemed odd to me, since there usually seemed to be more with animals around these places. Well, then again, who am I to tell one how their woods should be? Not that I would actually talk to a squirrel; I'm not a nutcase. But still, it just seemed odd to me.

But I really wish there were a squirrel here. From what I saw and what I could hear, there were no signs of animals in this place.

The second odd thing was the fact that the woods were covered in thick fog. I could barely see in front of me, let alone the friggin' ground!

I looked in my hand and found a knife. I don't remember ever having picked up a knife here or from home or anywhere. In fact, now that I had thought of it, I don't even remember coming to the woods in the first place. Where was I? I don't usually see any trees or forests around my neighborhood, so did I get up from bed and sleepwalk to the park? I couldn't even tell how these looked similar to the forests around in Indianapolis. The closest it looked to was Pine Ridge, and even that was really stretching it. Pine Ridge had more trees than just Weeping-Willows and fog and grass. Pine Ridge had a trail to follow for afternoon strolls or something like that. Here, I was just in the middle of crossroads, and not even a map to help me out of this place.

I usually like something a little more gothic, but this just gave me chills down my spine and back up. That was probably because of how cold the damn place was. I didn't even have a jacket on, only my undershirt, which I have to admit, even when sleepwalking, was pretty stupid of me. Then again, I was unconscious at the time, so how the hell would I know?

I placed the knife into my pocket and wrapped my arms around each other, trying to keep warm while shaking like a leaf. But while I walked, I felt something in my other pocket in the side of my pants. It was thick and light, and from what I could guess, shaped rectangularly or triangularly. I walked further on, not caring about it, just trying to find my way out of here. But that's when I paid my attention to the thing. I picked it out and it was a radio. It seemed normal enough, with the exception of the mouth being stained and dirty. I picked it out because of the noise it was making. It sounded disgusting and horrible! It was as if the filth in the radio was vibrating and gurgling as it buzzed weakly, sounding like the most hideous monster I'd ever heard. Probably what irritated me most about this fucking thing was because it was so weak sounding! It would have been just as annoying if this thing was loud, but the quietness of it was equally annoying to me. It's like having a fly buzzing near your ear for a long time or having an annoying beep go on forever on your computer.

I tried to find a place to beat it with a stick to turn off the foul noise, but there wasn't anything as I ran and looked about. But that only caused the radio to get louder, somehow. I couldn't find a stick or a thick branch or something, but what I did get was more sound. It was as if it were a metal detector, getting louder as I got close to something. But what would there be in the middle of the woods out here? I thought I was the only one here, but let's pray to God that there is someone (not literally, of course. I'm not a religious guy). But what I would find would be as bad as the sound the radio made.

I walked closer to wherever the radio was getting louder. If it got weaker, I pointed it near the direction with my hand reached out, like a compass. I had walked about 3 miles or so when I had found the thing. But I wish I hadn't.

It must have been the monster that made the sound of this radio, sure enough. This…thing! What the hell was it? I could only look on in fear at the massive stature of this creature! It only looked vaguely human, but vaguely only. I had limbs, a body, and a head, but it was a creature for certain! Its legs and arms were the color of shit and blood, with clawed fingers instead of hands. Its abdomen was thick and fat, with a round belly that looked like something was about to burst from it. It was colored yellow and bloody, with what seemed like leather or scales over it. The head was like a cross between human and lizard. But it had no mouth. The snout was elongated, along with the jaw, and its eyes were black and beady, with a bald head of leathery, thin skin. It smelled just like its arms, like shit and blood, foul smelling and daze inducing.

And it was inching towards me like an awkwardly waddling penguin.

I had to think quickly! I instantly knew what I could do! I pulled out my knife and shoved it the things neck, slicing the skin open. It seemed like a smart idea at the time, but I guess that only aggravated the damn thing! I shoved it into the side of its neck, but it got stuck there as it cried in pain. What the fuck was it doing!? As it cried ear-splittingly, its chest began splitting, leaking some kind of fluid or liquid of some sort. It then spurted onto the side of my shirt, and burned down to my skin like a million wasps and hornets having a stinging frenzy on my side. It was acid!

I gripped onto my side, trying to hold the pain down, but that was just stupid! I only burned my hands as well! My side began turning red with blood, melting my skin away, as were my hands. The thing was waddling towards me, it's dark, lifeless black eyes now fixed on mine with a look I couldn't describe.

I ran; I ran like hell into the closest hiding area I could find! I didn't care about anything else; I left the knife behind, the radio too. I was so terrified, I didn't know what to do or where to hide! Behind the foliage? In a cave? I didn't even pay attention to what was in front of me, even though I couldn't really do that to begin with. But I could see shadows in the fog.

There were more of those things. How many were there!? Hundreds? Thousands? Billions?! I wanted to wake up now! I was so terrified, nothing made sense anymore! I tried calling out names. My uncle, my girlfriend, her dad, anybody who I knew as a friend or alliance! I didn't want to be alone. I was so terrified. My wound was bleeding more heavily now. I tried holding back sobs of fear and despair.

I finally found what I was looking for. There was a cave in the distance of where I stood, just 3 yards in front of me. The fog seemed to either be coming from it or just passing it. Either way, it's better than being burned alive by monsters.

I ran in weakly, having lost so much blood on the way. Please God, don't let them follow the scent or the tracks! I tried making a tourniquet out of my undershirt, but I couldn't. My hands were now reduced to nothing but blood and sinew. I wanted to cry so badly. But I wouldn't. I'm gonna live through this. I'll survive and live to tell this story of whatever the hell these things were. Plus, if I cried, my old man would've been ashamed of me. _"I'm still strong, dad"_, I thought to myself.

I was not alone. I heard a low growling coming from further inside the cave. A flashlight would've been really useful by now.

"Hello?" I called out with fear in my voice. I tried sounding tough, but it didn't work. Hey, you'd be scared shitless if you were spit on by acid from a monster, wouldn't you? "Hey!" I yelled, hearing only my echo. Was there really something here? Before I could say anymore, I was attacked and mauled by something. My wound was sliced open, my face being torn apart. Then I was eaten slowly, my carcass decaying with each bite the thing took out of me.


	2. Chapter I: Garden

Chapter I: Garden

I awoke several hours in a daze. I found myself on my couch, my head resting on the soft cushion as I pushed my palms against my eyes to wash away the tiredness I felt. I must've been seriously knocked out! I think I started sleeping at 9:00 last night, and now it was nearly half-past noon now! Damn, how long had I been dozing off? Well, it didn't really matter. I didn't have to get up and go to high school anymore. I graduated from Lutwidge High School about a month ago with a degree in Writing. I was now living on my own at South Ashfield Heights Apartment. I wiped the drool from my face as I sat up. My head was pounding like the worst hangover ever. What the hell was all that? Some philosophical bullshit about what would happen or just a bit too much wine? Whatever the hell it was, I didn't want to come back to it.

I looked around the living room I was just sitting in. The state of it wasn't a huge mess, but it was certainly not the cleanest thing somebody had ever seen. I had most of the clothes folded from the wash, but they were all out over the floor, and the ones that weren't folded really stuck out. Some of my cabinets in the small kitchen were left open, but no bugs or roaches were in there or anything, thank God. I knew that, since Gramps and I took care of this place, there wouldn't be any insects, but I was happy nonetheless. Those little shits scared me half-to-death! I dunno, maybe it was the thought of something with long antennae and long legs that just creeped the hell outta me. God, even thinking about them made me shiver! Getting back to the subject at hand, nothing else really seemed out of place, aside from the clothes and the books, DVD's and videos hanging from the shelves with some DVD's and videos out of their cases.

I breathed a sigh of relief that Gramps wasn't here. He'd kill me if he saw even the tiniest mess like this. Grandpa Frank was a tough guy, but his intentions were good. He just overreacts; you put one little table where he wanted a washing machine and he acts like it's a matter of life and death. Another thing kind of annoying about Grandpa was how he was telling me to go places and live my life. He wants me to stay away from getting a girlfriend for some dumb reason. Why? Do I not have the right to be happy with a girl that made me happy and make her happy too? And to add insult to injury, he tries to tell me why they're awful and why "They'll steal you away and drive you to death" or some such bullcrap. Well, he was still a nice guy, I guess. He only wanted to look after me like I was his son or something. And I wanted him to be taken care of, too. He was a nice guy, but his health is obviously deteriorating. I've tried convincing him that I should take him to a hospital sometimes, but if you know old people, you probably knew what Granddad's reaction was like.

But the cruelest thing about him was his habit of using dad when he was pissed or really unhappy. This was rare, but God, was it powerful.

Well, for Gramps' sake, I started picking up the place around me. The clothes were easy, just shoving them into a drawer cabinet. That was when I started panicking. There weren't any bugs I saw in the drawers or a dead body or something.

It was a calendar, marked specifically on today, January 5.

I had nearly forgotten all about this day when I dozed off! I started closing the cabinets and rearranging the shelves and drawers as quickly and efficiently as I could. I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash my face, take a leak, and take a shower. When I got out, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked okay for tonight. My hair just needed some straightening and combing. After half an hour of that, I propped on my shirt and black jeans. I put my black coat on and my fedora, hoping to look nice but not goofy or arrogant, just casual. I looked in the mirror and nodded in approval at my looks. I couldn't wait to see her. It was our anniversary today.

It was only 1:00 PM now, so I could wait while she made herself beautiful. It was like love at first sight. We met at high school in our senior year together. I guess we had just been introduced to each other in Science. My friend, Dave, introduced me to her, who was also a friend of hers. I guess that, after we learned a few of each other's interests, we were immediately hooked. After 5 days, we started dating. I guess we also shared a lot of social and personal things as well. For one, we both lived with a person who wasn't our father. Our fathers are dead and never coming back. I guess it still hurt her to think of it. Her father (I think his name was Harry) had recently died, like 2 years ago. Sometimes, I still don't think she could handle it. And I think it was then that I really did love her. I felt sorry for her, and I wanted to see her happy. I don't know why, then, we just got together. And now, one year later, we're still together.

All the while today, I kept thinking of what we would do together. I know that we planned a restaurant and a movie, but there could be so much more done. There was a beautiful park with a lake down by the forest. We could spend the whole night there, just staring at the moon reflecting the water naturally and beautifully. I could sit there forever, as long as she was there. I wanted to. She made me feel happy in the world again. She made me feel like I was a good person. She made me feel like I had a purpose. If that isn't love, than I'm crazy. I'll make her happy, something dad would never have done for mom. At least, I hope I could make her happy. I'd go through hell to be with her.

On other terms of what we could do together, I was still thinking. I thought of some movies we could see, but that would be a bit tricky. Though we had similar interests, our movie tastes differed slightly. My favorite movie is _Hamlet_, the Kenneth Branagh version. Her favorite movie is _Ferris Bueler's Day Off_. Hey, I love her and I like the movie too, but you can clearly see the difference. Well, maybe _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_? I don't know, as long as it made her happy.

After 20 minutes, I couldn't really wait any longer. I was so anxious to see her again. I wanted to hear her voice before the date began. I picked up my cell phone and called her up. While her phone rang, I began walking in pace. I was a nervous guy around in public, especially around my girlfriend. I heard a low, scratchy voice of a middle-aged man.

"Hello?" it said. "Hey, Mr. Cartland, how are you? Is Cheryl there?" I asked. It was her adoptive dad on the phone. He was almost like the exact opposite of Gramps. He was strict and had good intentions, but you could clearly see it. Gramps just felt like an old gas-pot waiting to yell at you for making a tiny mistake. Douglas (his first name) was more forgiving and actually didn't mind me. Thank God I didn't have to go through the cliché of being awkward in front of her dad and Cheryl.

"Hey, Lewis, doin' fine. I'll go get her." I guess she was (unnecessarily) making herself look pretty for me tonight. I heard a sweet, somewhat smartass tone of a voice. "Hey, baby." It was so good to hear her. I'm glad I called early. "Hey, babe. Whatcha doin'?" "Getting ready for tonight, what else? Don't you know this is bad luck?" she said somewhat peeved, but overall, just teasing. I chuckled slightly "Small little thing: We're not married". But having said that, I wish I was wrong. I really wished I was wrong.

"Well, the same thing counts in my opinion, wise guy. Anyway, what were you planning?" she asked, slightly amused. "Well, I thought I'd meet you outside, drive us to Puccini's about now, maybe come back and watch a movie, and after that, anything we like". I left the last part open to a wide variety of subjects, but of course, I had one in particular. "Nah, I'll meet you at Puccini's at about 3:40." "Um…, okay, why? Isn't going by motorcycle with one quicker and more efficient?" "Yeah, I just don't like having things planned, silly." Her teasing nature was irrational at times, but I just like that she had a lust for life. "Okay, babe, whatever you say. See you there, though?" "'Course, honey. Love you." She kissed in the air at the phone to me. "Love you too." We hung up, and I went out.

My motorbike was right outside of the front door, in the parking lot. I bought it from some nut named Jasper at a bike shop. Couldn't really say much about Jasper, but I think he needed a little help. Then again, who am I to argue how he keeps his life in interest?

When I walked outside, a strange man in robes stared lifelessly at me. What the hell? Where did he come from? Was he there the whole time, watching me? I looked above us and noticed that my window was facing him, meaning that he could have seen me and been staring at me the whole time. Who the fuck was this creep? It was still night time, so I couldn't describe him all that well. He wore black robes and clothing from what I could see. His hair was black as ebony and long, reaching to his shoulders. His eyes were deep and sunken with noticeable bags, but the eyes themselves were so bright, it was as if he had the moon in his eyes. It was like looking into madness and humanity. And along his face and arms, it looked like he had some long string of scars or tattoos.

Well, whoever the hell he was, I didn't want to spend any more time around him. I got on my bike, started the engine, and headed off to Puccini's, waiting for Cheryl.

I looked back to make sure that guy was gone. But…no. He was still standing there with his moonlit gaze and his tiny, pinched mouth, emoting no life or emotion. Normally, I wouldn't let this bother me, but he was just staring at me the whole time! While I was inside the apartments, out of the apartments, and as I left. Maybe he was a local crazy, but I had never seen him around these parts of South Ashfield before. Not even anywhere else in Indiana! Maybe he was just some religious nut. But what had I done? I don't even know the guy outside of just now. And I haven't even said a friggin' word to the guy!

Well, whatever. If he was one of those who really is a religious nut and was either going to tell me what I should do for God or if I will go to Hell or something, he can kiss my ass. I hated people like that. Who are they to tell others what to believe in? Wouldn't it be the same if somebody told them "God doesn't exist"? And if they keep spouting out "You'll go to Hell" and nothing more, why waste your time with us then? Do whatever you want, just don't force others to like it or follow it. I couldn't stand people like that.

Well, who gives a damn about him anyway? I drove onto Levin Street, towards the park to wait a little bit before going to Brondan Mall to Puccini's. See you then, Cheryl. Love you, babe…


End file.
